If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

Well, I found some stuff and even a sort of "care sheet" for Lasius niger but some questions remain.

How fast does the colony grow? (year 1, year2, year 3)
What should/can I feed them? Would they accept cooked meat as a protein source? (getting a single mealworm for a small colony is almost impossible, they only sell them in large packs) Do they eat warm eggs/egg yolk or nuts?
Do they need a digging medium? (I would offer them small stone pebbles so they can customize the nest, anything else that would be good?)

Also, I just love to watch the AC youtube tutorials

"We should respect all forms of consciousness. The body is just a vessel, a mere hull."

How long it takes for a colony to grow to a certain size depends on a lot of variables, and the wide ranges you end up with make the predictions kinda pointless.

You don't buy single mealworms, you buy them in packs and give them to your ants periodically. For ant-keeping, it is best to try and raise the mealworms yourself, as these will be much healthier and more nutritious. Mine eat wingless fruit flies.

Lasius do not need a substrate, but do benefit from it, particularly when it comes to controlling mold in their own nest.

I hope that helps. AntsCanada has a lot of Lasius content on their youtube channel.

If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

Batspiderfish wrote:How long it takes for a colony to grow to a certain size depends on a lot of variables, and the wide ranges you end up with make the predictions kinda pointless.

I do know that colony growth is extremely dependent on circumstances.
I just wanted a general idea - I don't think they will explode like Solenopsis but they won't grow as slow as Camponotus either. A bit slower than Tetramorium?

Batspiderfish wrote:You don't buy single mealworms, you buy them in packs and give them to your ants periodically. For ant-keeping, it is best to try and raise the mealworms yourself, as these will be much healthier and more nutritious. Mine eat wingless fruit flies.

Can I freeze the worms?
What about ant jelly? Is it any good or are insects better?
What about cooked meat (like cooked chicken or beef)?

"We should respect all forms of consciousness. The body is just a vessel, a mere hull."